During my command tour, I was most fortunate to have had a Command Master Chief who had many talents, one of which was a keen appreciation for the power of an accolade.
On his first Monday morning on the job, he quietly slipped a piece of paper into my hand. It had the names of four sailors along with brief descriptions of volunteer events – Special Olympics and work at a local soup kitchen – these young men and women had unselfishly supported during the previous weekend. These sailors gave to their civilian community and gained pride in service – without expecting recognition. The Master Chief told me that he had heard that I enjoyed walking around the command and thought that it would be nice if I recognized these sailors during my walks. I thanked him profusely, immediately understanding the power of the message on that small piece of paper.
…these low keyed, informal, and quick interactions had a tremendous impact on command morale – an incredible return on an investment for a couple of minutes of time.
Throughout the ensuing week, during my walks around the command, I made it a point to visit the areas where these sailors worked. I thanked them for their volunteer service, referencing the specific event they had supported. It was pure joy to see the pride and delight in their faces – their eyes literally lit up as I thanked them for these acts of kindness. They were all surprised and elated for the recognition! At some point they all asked the same question. “How the heck did you know about this, Sir?” I told them that the Master Chief was working his magic again. I bantered a little with them, but quickly moved on. Each interaction lasted a couple of minutes.
This was replicated each week. I’d get a new list from the Master Chief on Monday’s and I’d make my ‘random’ visits to thank each sailor throughout the week.
All interactions between the boss and employees are golden opportunities to build trust – getting a well-deserved accolade from the boss is one of them.
What was the impact of these extremely short interactions? To the sailor, a great deal of pride and satisfaction, as well as a much stronger and trusting relationship with both myself and the Master Chief. From the sailor’s perspective, the Master Chief took the initiative to ensure the Commanding Officer was aware of their volunteer work, and the Commanding Officer 
took the time to thank them.
Interestingly, the amount of staff volunteer hours throughout the command skyrocketed. No doubt others thought a bit more seriously about getting involved in volunteer work, and felt the inherent joy in serving one’s community. All in all, these low keyed, informal, and quick interactions had a tremendous impact on command morale – an incredible return on an investment for a couple of minutes of time.
Find reasons to recognize your employees.
All interactions between the boss and employees are golden opportunities to build trust – getting a well-deserved accolade from the boss is one of them. I was fortunate to have a great leader, my Command Master Chief, who fully understood and embraced this maxim. He had the wisdom to create more such interactions!
Be a great leader. Be proactive. Find reasons to recognize your employees.